A native species likely to become an endangered species within the foreseeable future in New York (includes any species listed as federally Threatened by the United States). It is illegal to take, import, transport, possess, or sell an animal listed as Threatened, or its parts, without a permit from NYSDEC. 1) Any native species likely to become an endangered species within the foreseeable future in New York. 2) Any species listed as threatened by the U.S. Department of the Interior.

Federal Protection:
Not Listed

State Rarity Rank:S2S3

A State Rarity Rank of S2S3 means: Imperiled or Vulnerable in New York - Very vulnerable to disappearing from New York, or vulnerable to becoming imperiled in New York, due to rarity or other factors; typically 6 to 80 populations or locations in New York, few individuals, restricted range, few remaining acres (or miles of stream), and/or recent and widespread declines. More information is needed to assign a single conservation status.

Global Rarity Rank:G4

A Global Rarity Rank of G4 means: Apparently secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.

Did you know?
Sex determination in Blanding's turtles is temperature dependent. Research conducted by Gutzke and Packard (1987) found that when eggs are incubated at 31.0 degrees Celsius (87.8 degrees Fahrenheit), all of the hatchlings were female. If the eggs were incubated at 26.5 degrees Celsius (79.7 degrees Fahrenheit), all of the hatchlings turned out to be male.

There are currently 64 extant Blanding's turtle occurrences in Dutchess, Saratoga, St. Lawrence, Jefferson, Niagara, and Erie counties. Given the mobility of this species, there are many closely associated sites that should be considered as single populations. Taking this into consideration, many of the Dutchess, St. Lawrence, and Jefferson County populations would be combined into single occurrences and many of these occurrences are threatened by habitat fragmentation from development and associated mortality from automobiles and predation.

Although new populations have been identified in recent years, Blanding's turtle populations are believed to have been in decline for many decades. Some of the populations are in areas of the state that are subject to intense development pressure, which may lead to habitat fragmentation, increased road mortality, and compromised wetland quality.

Because of the long life span of this species, it is difficult to assess long-term trends. Given the disjunct nature of New York populations and evidence of remains farther south than the species is known to occur at present, an overall decline in the population is likely.